Survival
by BashirXena
Summary: Julian is captured by the Dominion and is stranded on a planet
1. Default Chapter Title

Survival  
  
hey, has everyone figured out yet that I can't spell? and I have bad programs that have poopy spellchecks but I used one anyway. I don't really like this story much, but oh well.  
  
  
As the transporter effect faded around him, Julian Bashir saw the snow, the wet, freezing snow. He shivered involuntarily and looked over to his partner. The frozen snow clung to her red hair and her cheeks flushed bright red as her body tried to keep her warm. Julian shook her arm a bit to get her attention. She glanced over at him and saw him mouth the words find shelter. She nodded and they forged ahead through the snow and the sub-zero temperatures. After fifteen minutes of dragging themselves through the blistering cold, they found a secluded cave. The cave was only a bit warmer but with no wind gusts. Julian pulled the small fire starter out of his coat pocket and lit a little fire. Their Dominion captors were kind enough to leave them with a Starfleet issue coat for each of them, a fire starter kit, and a knife. They both knelt down by the fire in an attempt to warm their entirely too cold hands.   
  
"I just love that Vorta," she said sarcastically.  
  
Julian laughed a bit. "This is Weyoun's idea of amusement, Lena. He just wants to shake things up a bit, which he finds entertaining and he knows irritates the hell out of us."   
  
Lena frowned. "Irritates is the biggest understatement I've ever heard." She blew on her hands desperately trying to warm them. "What are we suppose to do now?"  
  
Julian unconsciously took her hands in his rubbing them. "The Defiant has probably been searching for us since we were captured. Since they know what planet we're on they'll be able to find us but..."  
  
"But the ore in this mountain makes lifeform detection almost impossible. There's no way sensors will be able to find us," she supplied. Lena had been a new science officer on board Deep Space Nine. She was on her first mission a board the Defiant when Julian and her were captured.  
  
"But," Julian continued, "I'm hoping that if we can make our way to the top of the mountain, the ore that masks us from the sensors won't be as concentrated and the Defiant will be able to detect us."   
  
She looked down at their joined hands. "Climbing to the top of the mountain?" Her voice was quiet. "We don't even know how high this mountain is, or if the ore would be less concentrated."  
  
Julian continued slowly rubbing warmth into her hands. "It might be our only chance of rescue. We have to get as close to the top as possible." Lena looked terrified by his words. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.  
  
"I'm scared to death of falling," she whispered still staring at their hands.  
  
Julian moved his hand and lifted her chin. "We'll stay here tonight and hopefully the storm will have died down by morning. But we have to get to the top of the mountain."  
  
She nodded slowly. "All right. We're going to have to find something to eat first."  
  
Julian looked to the entrance of the cave and shivered at the thought of going out in the freezing weather. "Should we even attempt to go out there?"  
  
Lena smiled. "I may look frail and weak, but just you wait." Lena took the knife out of her coat and was off. Julian watched her slim figure disappear into the storm. He looked around the small cave and saw nothing but solid rock. He stood and crept towards the entrance of the cave. Desperately searching for Lena, his eyes scanned the area quickly but even his genetically enhanced eyes couldn't see through the thick snow. Needless to say he was worried about her. She was a beautiful slim woman...beautiful? he thought. Where had that come from? All right, so I do think she's attractive but I can't think about that now. He shook his head almost in hopes to shake out those thoughts. He shivered involuntarily; his body's sign to get warm. He walked back over to the fire, squatted down and extended his hands towards the fire. And waited, waited. Waited for half an hour before she came back dragging a fresh kill. The animal was about 10 kilos and looked almost like a bobcat.  
  
Julian's eyebrows rose in surprise. Lena only smiled. "Surprised I could actually hunt? I had to go through the academy too, you know."  
  
He shook his head. "It's not that. I was just surprised you found something living in this," he gestured to the storm.  
  
She shrugged, "Luck." She moved to sit by him and the fire. "Since I caught it, you can skin it." She thrusted the knife towards him, handle first.  
  
He took it and grabbed the animal by the hind legs. He remembered back to his   
survival training at the academy and began cutting in the appropriate spots. For some reason, he couldn't get his mind off of Lena. She was an incredibly attractive woman with many skills. He forcefully pushed those thoughts behind. You are a professional, he told himself. This is a life or death situation and remember to keep that in mind.  
  
Lena watched Julian skillfully skin the animal. She tried to look away but his movements were hypnotic. Every move planned and carried out with great precision. Part of her wondered what else those hands could do. She sighed and gazed back into the fire. Now isn't the time...she thought...but maybe latter. Lena put her hands near the fire. She watched the flames lazily licking the cold air. Unbidden thoughts of licking and Julian ran through her head. A small laugh escaped her lips drawing Julian's attention.  
  
"What?" he asked while smiling.   
  
A small blush formed on her already red cold cheeks. "Uh, just imagining what it would be like to see that Vorta out in the cold."  
  
He chuckled and went back to skinning. She continued watching him work. "Julian, have you skinned an animal before?" she asked suddenly. She had thought the question but didn't mean to ask it.  
  
He glanced at her. "No, why do you ask?"  
  
She turned back to the fire. "No reason. It just seems like you've done it before. You're very skillful with a blade."  
  
"Well, I am a doctor, you know. I've performed many surgeries," he supplied. He finished cutting the meat. "We're going to have to cook this somehow."  
  
"I'll go find us some branches," Lena volunteered. She traipsed off again and came back with a handful of twigs. "Let's set it up."  
  
  
Julian gratefully ate his last piece of meat. They had more meat of course, but had decided to dry it out for later food. Julian glanced at Lena who was licking the sweet juice of meat off her fingers. For a moment, Julian couldn't take his eyes off the sight. The delicate trails her tongue was tracing on her fingers. Julian's head snapped towards the fire. Why are you doing this? he asked himself. You are a man and a StarFleet officer, not some untrained teenager.   
  
Lena sighed contentedly. "That was pretty good." Julian only nodded. Lena frowned. "Is something wrong?"  
  
He shook his head slowly. "Nothing."  
  
"Well, I don't know about you but I could use some sleep." She laid down near the fire with her arm under her head for support. After a few moments, Julian stole a glance at her almost still figure. She was shivering.  
  
"Lena, are you cold?" he asked softly.  
  
Her eyes opened, smiling sheepishly she said, "Just a bit." She shivered more violently. "All right, I'm freezing."  
  
Julian smiled. "Instead of shivering and not getting any sleep, why don't we connect our coats and sleep together?" Julian silently wondered if that would be the best idea given his attraction to her. But it would keep them alive.  
  
She nodded eagerly. "Sounds good." Lena crawled towards him and took off her coat as did he. She handed it over to him so he could connect them. He connected one side, then gestured her to fallow him over to the edge of the cave closest to the fire.   
  
"We can lean against the side of the cave." They both slipped into the coat and Julian secured the other side. He tried to stay as far away from her as possible, but she continued to shiver. You're going to have to... He slipped his arm around her waist pulling her closer. She leaned against him. "Better?"  
  
She grinned, "Much." They both starred at the fire and tried desperately not to think of the other. After a few short minutes, Lena's heavy eyelids fell, and she was asleep. Julian gently pushed some lose hair off of her face. He could see her lips turn up in the smallest smile.   
  
"Lena?" he whispered. "Are you asleep?" He just had to check. Her only response was a soft moan. He smiled. "Do you mind if we stay like this for a while?" Julian knew she had no idea what he was asking, he just wanted to humor himself. She moaned again as her arms slithered around his waist. "I guess that's a yes." Julian sat there listening to Lena's steady breathing. Julian thought about the woman next to him. Every time he looked at her, he got that nervous feeling in his stomach just like when he was a teenager and was around a girl he liked. He was surprised that he hadn't started stuttering and stammering like he use to. That was the thing about him, his emotions were always accessible, always on the surface. He sighed. Maybe that's why it never worked out with anyone, they knew what he was thinking almost before he did.   
  
Lena's breathing kept it's strong pace and Julian just listened. Maybe I'm just getting tired, he thought as a yawn overtook him. But ever so slowly, sleep washed over him and they slept there soundly with Lena's arms around him, and his arms around her.  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Survival part 2  
  
A tiny bit more and there probably won't be any more for a while seeing that I'm too busy. Maybe if I got some reviews I'd be inspired to write...  
  
  
Lena yawned as the shadows of night fell away. She noticed her arms encircling a lean, well-toned torso. Her eyes traveled leisurely upwards to Julian's face. He looked so wonderfully peaceful. She glanced over to what was a sizable fire, but was now a few glowing embers. Then, she looked outside the cave. The sun was out with a force, the storm had passed. Sighing, she decided they'd better get moving. Unwrapping her arms from Julian, she moved to a sitting position. Her body ached from sleeping in such a strange way. The pain didn't bother her that much, what did trouble her was the fact she so easily fell asleep in the arms of someone unfamiliar. Flirting with people was one thing, but sleeping with them...it's not like it was that kind of sleep, though. That responsible part of her nagged her consciousness, but she shrugged it off. So what? She met an attractive man whose company she enjoyed and in a survival situation they fell asleep in each other's arms for warmth. She had met an attractive, intelligent man with honest eyes, beautiful skin... Oh how easily that responsible part of her mind could be silenced.  
  
Julian breathed in deeply and yawned. He smiled to Lena, his arm still around her. "Good morning."  
  
  
"Morning. Did you sleep all right?"  
  
His hand went to the back of his head. "I'm a little sore, but that's to be expected." His gaze drifted to the cave opening. "It looks like the storm is long gone. We'd better head out."  
  
She nodded her agreement. They disconnected their coats and gathered the dried meat and the few other things they had. Setting out with determination, they made their way up the mountain. The few paths were rocky, some very steep, some very skinny. Julian couldn't help notice the beauty of the scenery. The powder covered hills, crystal clear sky. He also couldn't help noticing that the higher they got, the quieter Lena got. Soon they'd be coming to the point where they'd actually have to climb instead of hike. Luckily, the point at which they had to start climbing had large foot and hand holds and they stayed that way until the next ledge they could rest on.   
  
"All right, Lena. I'll go up first. You'll be fine if you can follow and use the same   
hand and foot holds I do." Her only response was a clipped nod. Julian laid his hand on her shoulder. "We'll be all right, I promise." When Lena looked into his eyes, he knew that she was scared beyond thinking but she trusted him completely. Julian started off, moving very slowly. Every few seconds he glanced down at Lena to make sure she was all right. Her hand shook as she moved it to the next hold.   
  
"You're doing fine, Lena. There's not much more." In actuality, this certain cliff was 45 meters high and they had scaled about half of it. Julian would have made up by now but Lena was terribly frightened and he couldn't leave her. He was about three meters higher than she was, but he could still see her bleeding hands. They had various cuts and scrapes from the bare rock. He knew that was she in a considerable amount of pain, but she kept her slow pace, eyes always focusing on the rock ahead of her or Julian.   
  
At last Julian reached the edge. He easily hauled himself onto it, then looked down to see Lena a few precious feet behind him. He stretched out his hand, "Grab onto my hand and I'll pull you up."   
  
She looked up helplessly, his hand seemingly too far away. "I can't," she said breathlessly.  
  
"Yes you can," he replied forcefully.  
  
That's all it took for her to carefully lift her hand towards his. As their fingertips barely grazed each others, Lena's footing gave way. She let out a yelp when she felt nothing under her feet. It only took Julian a millisecond to react. His hand successfully clamped around hers. "Gotcha!" Using all his strength, and her pushing herself up   
somewhat, Julian managed to pull her over.   
  
On her hands and knees, her rapid breathing being her only movement, she stayed there until she sensed Julian next to her.   
  
He gently placed his hands on hers. "Let me see your hands," he murmured softly. She leaned back taking the weight of her hands. He inspected them gently and thoroughly giving each hand ample attention. "You have a few abrasions and a couple of deep cuts. I could have you fixed up nicely if I had med-kit, but since I don't, well have to make some bandages. Do you still have the knife?"   
  
She nodded. "In my right pocket." He gingerly slipped his hand into her coat pocket and pulled out the knife. He unzipped his jacket and removed it. He sliced the lining just enough to cover her hands with a little extra. He hurriedly put his coat back on. He took some fabric and tenderly whipped the excess blood off her hands. She cringed but made no sound. When he was done, her hands were effectively wrapped leaving only her finger tips poking out.  
  
"Are you all right?" he finally asked. He wanted to give her enough time to calm done.   
  
She let out a shaky breath while gazing at her hands. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me and for wrapping up my hands."  
  
He smiled. "It was my pleasure." A frown touched his lips. "When did you get that?" He moved to touch her forehead. They both looked at the crimson blood on his fingers.   
  
"I don't remember when. I small rock fell and hit me." He whipped the blood away with the part of cloth that was left.  
  
"You should be OK, but you're hands and head will be sore."  
  
She looked over to a new cave. "I guess we get to spend some more time in a cave."  
  
  
"I'm really starting to hate the sight of this rock." Lena threw a rock against the cave wall.   
  
Julian looked up from the fire and smiled. "Well, you're going to see a lot more of it. Are you sure you'll be all right when we get going?"  
  
She shrugged. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"  
  
"We could wait a while longer..."  
  
Lena smiled a sweet smile. He was being far too caring, but that was his nature, wasn't it? "If we stay too long, we may not be able to head out for a while. A storm like the one last night could come at any minute."   
  
He had to agree with her. It would be a lot safer to keep moving than to stay in the cave. Besides, their chances of being found were greater the higher they got. He sighed. "When do you want to leave?"   
  
"I think we should go now."  
  
He nodded. "Right, just let me check your hands." She gave him her hands. He removed the makeshift bandages. Her hands were slightly swollen and the cuts weren't healing as fast as they should, probably due to the cold. He rewraped her hands.  
  
"How badly do they hurt?"  
  
"Not much. They're almost numb." Lena frowned at her injured hands. She hated the cold, she hated mountains and she didn't even want to think about having to climb more. At least the company was good.   
  
"Let's go." They exited the cave and Julian started off first again. He got about ten meters up before what he was using as a hand hold crumbled in a few large chunks. He yelled down to Lena who was a scant few meters behind him to watch out but to no avail. The rock fell the few tiny feet and collided with her head. The force of the rock knocked her back and down to the snowy ground.   
  
"Lena!" Julian scurried back down and knelt next to her. Her eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open. He gently touched her forehead. A sharp moan escaped her lips. Julian performed the standard checks on her, and concluded that she had a concussion. He slipped his arms underneath her and carried her back to the cave.   
  
Laying her down softly, he tried desperately to get her to focus. "Lena, look at me." Her eyes couldn't stay open. "Lena," he commanded, "keep your eyes open. You have to stay awake."  
  
She gradually brought Julian's face into focus. "Julian..." she rasped. He stroked her hair comfortingly only to find it wet with snow and blood.  
  
He pulled her to a sitting position. "Come on, Lena. As long as you stay awake, you'll be fine." She leaned heavily against him. "I can't..."  
  
"Yes you can. You have to," he urged her. After a few moments, her breathing slowed almost to normal. Julian helped Lena over to the side of the cave so she could lean against it. He started a fire in front of her so she'd be warm.   
  
Turning back to his patient, he asked, "How are you feeling?"  
  
She smirked, "I can't feel my hands, my back hurts and I have a throbbing headache, but other than that, I feel like I'm on Risa."  
  
He smiled, "It seems your sense of humor is still intact." He held onto her hands which were icy cold. He blew on her hands. The bandages barely clung to her hands. Blood and dirt smeared the once clean fabric. Julian glanced at Lena who was beginning to nod off.  
  
He took hold of her face, "Lena, stay awake, talk to me."  
  
She opened her eyes quickly, "I'm awake," she mumbled.  
  
Julian's mind raced. If he didn't keep her talking, he'd be climbing the rest of the way alone and that was something he just didn't feel up to. "Talk to me, Lena. You have to keep talking otherwise you'll doze off. Tell me something, anything," he pleaded with her.  
  
A moment passed as she thought of something to tell him. "When I was six, my older brother and I were climbing this huge oak tree. The branches were thicker around than I was. I stood on the first branch which was only about two meters off the ground. My eyes were closed and I could feel the wind pressing against my body. It felt like I was flying. I let go of the other branch I was holding onto and for a few seconds, I really thought I was flying. The wind became too strong and it knocked me off the branch straight onto my back. I broke my wrist in the fall."   
  
"And that's when you became afraid of falling," Julian concluded.  



	3. Default Chapter Title

Julian's mind raced. If he didn't keep her talking, he'd be climbing the rest of the way alone and that was something he just didn't feel up to. "Talk to me, Lena. You have to keep talking otherwise you'll doze off. Tell me something, anything," he pleaded with her.  
  
A moment passed as she thought of something to tell him. "When I was six, my older brother and I were climbing this huge oak tree. The branches were thicker around than I was. I stood on the first branch which was only about two meters off the ground. My eyes were closed and I could feel the wind pressing against my body. It felt like I was flying. I let go of the other branch I was holding onto and for a few seconds, I really thought I was flying. The wind became too strong and it knocked me off the branch straight onto my back. I broke my wrist in the fall."   
  
"And that's when you became afraid of falling," Julian concluded.  
  
She nodded lazily. She looked him over for a moment. "Julian, can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Hesitating only a moment, she asked, "Can I ask you about your genetic enhancements?" Her voice was soft and inviting. She had been wondering about it ever since they were stranded and now that she wasn't her usual self, she figured it'd be the best time to ask.   
  
"If you'd like..." his voice shook slightly betraying the confidence he thought he felt.  
  
"What was it like? I mean the whole experience, going from barely understanding your surroundings to being brilliant." She held his gaze carefully, wanting him to feel comfortable.  
  
He paused remembering far back to when he was a child. "My world," he began   
quietly," was cloudy and unsure. I would experience things that I had no clue what to make of. Everything was there, my mind just couldn't do anything with it. But that life had such simple joys. I remember when I first got my stuffed bear. I knew it was a toy and it was very soft and comforting. My eyes lit up when I saw it and my mind held great happiness. And then they did the enhancements on me. There wasn't a thing I couldn't comprehend. I saw the world from an entirely real perspective."   
  
The memories made Julian feel the same feelings he always got thinking about the enhancements. That he was an unnatural being, that he wasn't good enough the way he was, that he was utterly inhuman. His eyes burned with unshed tears.  
  
Lena studied him closely. "Julian, why does being enhanced make you feel that you're not human?"  
  
He looked at her sharply, but his features softened when he saw the true curiosity in her face. "It... I just... they had to change my genetic structure to make me who I am," he faltered. No one had ever asked him flat out about his feelings.  
  
"That doesn't make you who you are."  
  
"How would you know? You've only known me for a short while," he countered.  
  
She smiled. "Call it instinct." When she noticed the questioning look, she elaborated. "I can sense things from you. And I've read your file." That served only to deepen his questioning look. Even Julian himself hadn't read his own file.  
  
A blush crept up her pale cheeks. "I was intrigued by the rumors of your genetic enhancements, so I accessed you file from the StarFleet database. Very interesting stuff, I might add. I wanted to know more about this genetically enhanced doctor, and, since Deep Space Nine was at the front of all the action, I put in for a transfer. I really enjoyed my new post until recently. Besides, Deep Space Nine is a step up from the Promethius."  
  
Drowsiness swept over Lena, and her eyes fought to stay open. "Lena," he inched closer to her. "You can't sleep."  
  
She stirred at the sound of his voice. "I wasn't. I was just making sure my eyelids worked, that's all." Her brow furrowed. "I can't feel my hands." She starred down at the unfeeling appendages.  
  
Grabbing her hands again, Julian rubbed them furiously. Her face scrunched at the pain. A sharp moan escaped her lips. Julian pulled her coat sleeves over her hands.   
  
"There's something I have to do. Stay here and don't you dare fall asleep on me."  
  
She smiled, "Yes, sir." Listening carefully as his receding footprints crunched the snow, Lena thought. Should she even be questioning his feelings about his enhancements? She knew from the look on his face and they way he talked about them, that he didn't feel good about himself. She had seen those feelings before, in herself. Inadequate, a failure, worthless, unlovable. A part of her wished she could take away those feelings for him.  
  
The constant pain of her injured hands reminded her of pain before. Can I go through all that again? The rejection, betrayal, denial. A relationship with Julian didn't seem so bad, it actually sounded good. Do you really thing he'd want to be with you? That you could handle a relationship again? a tiny voice mocked her.   
  
Lena grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the wall with all the energy she could muster in her current state. It hit the wall with a resounding smack and fell lifelessly to the ground. Frustration coursed through her. Her heart wanted so badly to love and be loved, but her mind was wary of any relationship. She was tired of listening to her mind.  
  
  
Wondering if it would do any good, Julian started the fire outside the cave. Hopefully, if someone from the Defiant took a shuttle to search for them, they'd be able to detect the fire. Startled by a loud noise in the cave, Julian quickly looked towards Lena. Glaring at a rock on the other side of the cave, Lena still rested against the rock. Confusion furrowed Julian's brow. He shrugged. At least she's awake and alert.  
  
Turning his attention back to the fire, Julian thought. He'd been thinking a lot since the beginning of their "trip". Granted, he had numerous things on his mind, he felt tired of thinking. He just wanted to go back to his normal life on DS9, or so he thought. A life alone wasn't that appealing. But a life with Lena in it...  
  
A faint thrumming noise interrupted his contemplation's. He looked towards the crystal sky to see a gray speck high above. Watching as the speck began to descend, a glimmer of hope sparked in Julian. It couldn't be what he thought, could it? A few more seconds later, he knew it wasn't unwarranted hope. Swiftly rising, he ran into the cave to Lena.  
  
"Lena, come on," he urged helping her to her feet. "We're about to be saved." He wrapped one arm around her waist and draped her arm around his shoulder.   
  
She sagged heavily against him. "I don't believe it," she murmured. Lena's breath forming puffs in the air drew her attention away from Julian. Focusing was becoming increasingly hard.  
  



End file.
